Julián Castro says he will end his presidential bid if he does not raise $800,000 in the next 10 days and make the November debate stage, mimicking a fundraising push New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker used a month ago.
“If I can’t raise $800,000 in the next 10 days — I will have no choice but to end my race for President,” Castro, who was housing secretary during the Obama administration, said in a fundraising email sent to supporters on Monday. “If I can’t make the next debate stage, we cannot sustain a campaign that can make it to Iowa in February.”
Booker made a similar threat 10 days before the September end-of-quarter fundraising period, saying that without an additional $1.7 million he would not be able to compete to win the Democratic presidential nomination. His campaign raised $2 million in the 10-day period.
The Castro campaign told the Washington Examiner the situation was serious. In the email, Castro wrote the threat is “not a fundraising gimmick.”
“Our campaign is facing its biggest challenge yet. Secretary Castro has run a historic campaign that has changed the nature of the 2020 election and pushed the Democratic party on a number of big ideas. Unfortunately, we do not see a path to victory that doesn’t include making the November debate stage—and without a significant uptick in our fundraising, we cannot make that debate,” said campaign manager Maya Rupert.
Recent Castro fundraising emails sought money to buy television advertisements in Iowa.
The Democratic National Committee requires candidates in the November debate to secure 165,000 individual donors, plus a polling threshold of either 3% in four DNC-approved polls or 5% in two DNC-approved early voting state polls. Castro has met the donor mark, but does not have any qualifying polls. The deadline for qualification is Nov. 13.
In September, a Castro fundraising email had a similar warning that he would drop out if he did not make the November debate stage. “I don’t say this lightly: If I don’t make the next debate stage, it will be the end of my campaign,” it said.
Castro raised $3.5 million in the third quarter of 2019, significantly less than his primary competitors, and spent more than he raised over the three-month period. He entered October with just $672,333.49 in cash on hand.
[Previous coverage: Castro still struggling for surge of Latino support in large primary field]
